


the beauty of new traditions

by Lymans



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-22
Updated: 2015-10-22
Packaged: 2018-04-27 15:17:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5053717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lymans/pseuds/Lymans
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“The beauty of being an adult is that you can make a new family with new traditions.”</p><p>“Well that's nice but I don't have a new family yet so I guess I'm stuck with my awesome old traditions.”</p><p>A series of drabbles about the traditions of the Santiago-Peralta family and how they came into being.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the beauty of new traditions

**Author's Note:**

> This drabble series has been niggling away at me since I re-watched Thanksgiving for the millionth time. Every time I watch it, the line about traditions always gets me. Jake is so sad in that moment and I just want to let him know that he's going to have this awesome family with Amy Santiago one day filled with awesome new traditions. Since you can't talk to fictional characters though, this will have to do. 
> 
> Updates on this will be sporadic - this drabble was already half done, hence why I'm posting it instead of updating 'for you are my fate' - and it won't be a hugely long series. Also, a lot of googling is going into this because a lot of this family's traditions stem from their religion and culture. I am doing my best to be accurate but if you're more knowledgeable on these areas than I am and you spot an inaccuracy then please let me know. I am having a lot of fun researching inter-faith weddings and how parents of different religions decide to raise their kids though!
> 
> And for anyone who's interested, when I was writing this, I was picturing Katey Sagal as Jake's mom.

The first tradition of the Santiago-Peralta family comes into existence six months into Jake and Amy’s relationship.

Boyle suggests going to Shaw’s to celebrate the team finally closing the child abduction case that has been hanging over their heads, as well as the front page of the New York Post, for the past three weeks. Terry and Holt make their excuses after one drink but, three drinks in, Gina’s proposal that they go to a new club that’s opened in Williamsburg seems like a good idea so the group moves on, drinks more and ends up dancing until the place closes at four am. Tipsy and exhausted, Amy and Jake share a cab back to his place, giggling quietly to themselves in the back seat as the effects of their countless drinks linger, before stumbling into bed and falling asleep fully dressed on top of the covers.

The next morning, a loud knocking on the front door wakes them up and they let out simultaneous groans as the sound reverberates in their skulls.

“Ugh, who is trying to kill us?” Jake says, half his words lost as he mumbles them into his pillow.

“Make them go away.”

Amy tugs a pillow over her head in an attempt to block out the intrusion of a new day but, to her aggravation, the knocking continues.

“Jacob, wake up.”

Jake freezes at the voice calling through the door before muttering under his breath and then suddenly rolling out of bed. He crashes to the floor and swears loudly, causing Amy to peer over the edge of the bed at the hungover heap that is her boyfriend.

“Is that-“

“Coming, ma.” His own volume makes him wince but he forces himself to stand before looking down at his crumpled shirt and jeans from the night before. Pulling them off, he throws them at the laundry pile in the corner of the room and grabs a clean shirt from the drawer. “I totally forgot that I’m supposed to go to temple with her today.” He glances at his alarm clock. “Which started half an hour ago.”

His words cause Amy to sit up suddenly and her pained expression lets him know she’s suffering as much as he is. They have yet to take the momentous step of family introductions, and she has no interest in doing it while hungover and in yesterday’s clothes.

The banging starts again and Jake gives her a panicked look as he stumbles into a pair of slacks that she didn’t even know he owned, and though her head feels like it’s going to explode and her mouth tastes vile, Amy forces her brain to form a plan of action.

“You get the door and I’ll jump in the shower. Grab a cup of coffee on your way out, chew some gum in the cab and you’ll be fine. If she thinks anything’s up, tell her you were working late tying up loose ends on the Miller case.”

What feels like an entire marching band is performing in her head as she forces her aching body out of bed and stumbles towards the bathroom, assuming Jake’s low groan signals him agreeing to her plan. The hot water of the shower scalds her skin but it’s enough to startle her awake and wash away the general air of discomfort that lingers after last night’s adventures. And, for once the strawberry taste of Jake’s toothpaste feels pleasant in her mouth, a much preferred alternative to the sticky, grimy feeling that was clinging to her teeth when she woke up. By the time she’s changed yesterday’s suit for some clean clothes and run a brush through her hair, she feels relatively human and ready to brave the coffee shop downstairs for an extra-large latte and a bagel. 

However, when she walks out of the bathroom to find her boyfriend and his mother perched on the sofa, she suddenly wishes she’d stayed in the shower for at least another thirty minutes.

“So you’re the girl my son has been keeping from me?”

Two of Amy’s previous relationships had been serious enough to get to the ‘meet the parents’ stage and she had arduously prepared both times, poring over family photos and peppering her boyfriend with questions. She went in fully prepared to charm the family and win them over. Everything was meticulously prepped from her outfit – neatly pressed slacks, cream jumper, low heels, and the pearl earrings her aunt gave her for graduation -  to her alcohol choice – one glass of wine with dinner that was left half drunk.

Wet hair, a hangover and an unexpected ambush was never a part of any plan.

Her first impression is that Jake’s mom could go toe to toe with Rosa on her colleague’s worst day and still win. While Jake is all soft edges and smiles, his mom is hard. Her face is tight as she appraises Amy through her glasses, and her dark hair and dark clothes make for an intimidating figure. Amy has faced off against the scum of the earth without blinking an eye but now she feels her stomach churn as she waits for a reaction.

Then her hard exterior breaks and she smiles. It’s the same smile she’s seen across her desk for the past eight years only with a little added sharpness and bite, and she suddenly understands where Jake has got his own strength and determination from. It’s hard to imagine anyone crossing this woman and getting away with it.

“Ma, this is Amy Santiago, my partner and my girlfriend.” It’s been half a year but she still feels the flutter of butterflies whenever Jake introduces her that way. “Amy, this is my mom, Esther Peralta.”

“Call me Esther,” she says, standing up and holding out a hand which Amy shakes firmly. Her handshake is strong and Amy thinks she sees a flicker of respect in the older woman’s eyes. “I apologise for surprising you like this but my son has been hiding you away and I couldn’t pass up the chance to finally meet you.”  Jake blushes and shakes his head but his mom tuts at him. “You have been hiding her, Jacob.

“Well it’s great to meet you at last, Esther. I’m sorry we couldn’t do it sooner.”

Behind his mom’s back, Jake shoots her an affronted look because she has been the one delaying the family introductions out of poorly disguised panic at the concept of opening their relationship up to the scrutiny of their families. His mom doesn’t need to know that though so she simply smiles and resists the urge to poke her tongue out at her boyfriend.

“Would you like to join us at temple?” The question is unexpected. “Don’t feel you have to but I would like to get the chance to know my son’s girlfriend further. Perhaps we could go to lunch after.”

“Ma,” Jake hisses but she ignores her son.

“Of course I understand if you would be uncomfortable. You’re not Jewish, are you?”

Jake drops his head into his hands and groans.

“No I’m not. I’m Catholic.”

Esther’s expression barely flickers but Amy can practically see her filing that piece of information away. A Catholic girlfriend means no hypothetical Jewish grandchildren and that is definitely a strike against her.

So, even though her head is aching and she feels like she is mere moments away from vomiting, her competitive streak sparks inside of her.

“I’d love to come.”

Esther excuses herself to go and hail a cab and Amy quickly turns her attention to tearing apart the collection of clothes she keeps at Jake’s in an attempt to find something to wear to temple. She’s stood in a dark skirt and her bra, trying to find a top appropriate for a religious service when she hears Jake laughing behind her.

She twirls round. “What is funny?”

“You are. You’re so flustered yet my mom wouldn’t even have invited you to join us if she didn’t already like you. It’s cute.” He kisses her cheek. “But I’m glad you’re coming.”

“Because you want your mom to like me or because it means you won’t be the only hungover person in the room?”

He grins at her before pressing two aspirin into her palm, which she swallows quickly before buttoning up her blouse and twisting her damp hair up into a passable chignon.

“Will I do?”

“You look beautiful. Now we gotta go because Martha Goldstein always leaves at twelve and Ma will be mad if Martha thinks we’ve skipped temple.” 

Temple is a new experience for Amy, as is the chance to see Jake in this environment. He doesn’t often discuss his faith and she’s always supposed he’s religious in the way that she is - for family, on holidays and in times of crisis. There are some Saturdays where he wakes before she does and disappears to take him mom to temple but there are also plenty of them where he laces up sneakers and heads out to play basketball with some old academy buddies. So seeing him with his yarmulke and his head bowed in prayer is novel, and she can’t help but keep glancing over at him as the rabbi speaks. He recites the prayers under his breath, the Hebrew unfamiliar to her ears, but every so often he looks up and smiles at her before tracing the English words in the prayer book with his finger so she can follow along too.

The whole time, as Jake guides her through sitting and standing and bowing and praying, his hand always holding hers or hovering on her arm or back, she’s aware of Esther watching them out of the corner of her eye. And she isn’t the only one. When they had arrived – halfway through the service, which Jake had assured her was totally normal – they’d garnered some curious stares from members of the congregation, and she’s kept herself entertained by keeping count of how many women steal a look at the two of them when they should be listening to the rabbi. During one prayer, she’d heard a woman two rows back whisper “Jacob’s finally got himself a girlfriend,” and she had had to bite her cheek to keep herself from giggling.

Eventually the service draws to an end and the congregation spills out onto the steps of the synagogue. Almost instantly they’re surrounded by a crowd of women, who Amy assumes are friends of Esther’s, and besieged by questions. Jake’s mom handles them all swiftly while Jake whispers in her ear about the time he snuck out of Hebrew classes to meet with Gina at the ice-cream shop that used to be across the road, and by the time the crowd has dispersed they’re both laughing and leaning against each other. She can easily imagine a young Jake, all wild curls and gangly limbs, racing down the steps before he was spotted, and she wishes she could have known him them, could have met the boy that would grow up to become the amazing man next to her.

 “So, Amy, you’ll be joining us for lunch.”

It’s posed as a statement rather than a question but Amy nods and allows Esther to lead them down the street, her restaurant of choice clearly already determined. Jake’s mom is tall and she navigates the Brooklyn streets gracefully, people shifting out of her as she strides down the sidewalk, while she makes small talk with them about their work and whether Jake thinks Ruth Goldenblatt has had too much botox. 

They arrive at a small Chinese restaurant and the waitress greets both Esther and Jake warmly before showing them to their “usual table.” They take their seats and Amy peruses the menu while Esther slips into concerned mom mode and questions Jake on his eating habits and how much sleep he’s getting. When she comments that he’s looking more tired than usual, he kicks Amy under the table and she makes sure to stare intently at her menu in an attempt to stave off the rising blush in her cheeks and the faint pounding still echoing in her head.

“How’s work?”

“Good. We closed the Meyers case yesterday and everyone’s breathing a bit easier now,” Jake says, folding his napkin and fiddling with a pair of chopsticks.

“I saw that in the paper. Just terrible. Were you working that case as well, Amy?”

“It was a whole department job,” she says. “The more bodies you can get on something like that, the better.”

“And you enjoy your work?”

The shift from casual interest to interrogation doesn’t pass Amy by.

“I do. I’ve always wanted to be a cop.”

“Are your parents in the force?”

“No but my grandfather was and one of my brothers is a cop out in Philadelphia.”

“How many brothers do you have?”

“Seven.”

The startled cough and eyebrow raise are a reaction she is used to.

“Wow that’s quite a lot of children to raise. I assume you don’t want quite that many?”

Jake makes a noise of protest but his mom tuts at him before turning her attention back to Amy.

“Not quite that many, no,” she laughs. “Growing up with seven siblings has put all of us off of following our parents’ example.”

That earns a laugh from Esther, which makes Amy beam with pride, and the rest of the meal goes rather well as Amy answers an array of personal questions. Jake shakes his head and tries to intervene but Esther swats him away with the ease only a mother has. Her love and concern for her son is obvious though, and it’s easy to see how he grew up to be so caring and loving with someone like Esther raising him. Amy likes her greatly.

At the end of the meal, Jake excuses himself to the bathroom and Esther leans over the table, her hard, intense gaze identical to the same one Jake gets when he’s questioning a perp.

“I like you, Amy,” she says, sipping at her water. “My son is not always good at dealing with his emotions; he gets that from his father. I know it took him a long time to realise how he felt about you and to do anything about it.” She smiles. “I’ve been hearing your name for years now. So when he told me you were finally dating, I sensed this would be something special. And I can see from watching the two of you together that it is.”

She eyes Amy over her glass and, when she speaks again, her tone is firm.

“Jake has a big heart and he loves very easily. I can tell that you’re not the type of woman who would take advantage of that or purposefully hurt him.”

She doesn’t expand, instead leaving the statement and all its implications hanging in the air.

“I love your son. He’s amazing and the best thing to happen to me in a long time.”

Esther blinks and is silent for a moment as she weighs Amy’s answer. Then she smiles and Amy feels herself relax.

“Well that we can agree on. Though perhaps we won’t tell him he’s amazing; an unfortunate side effect of him being an only child is that he has developed a rather large ego. I blame myself.”

They’re still laughing when Jake returns to the table, and his observation that they’re probably bonding over how great he is only makes them laugh harder.

He offers to pay the bill, which earns a withering stare from Esther who refuses Amy’s own offer before sliding her credit card over to the waiter. They gather their belongings and head back out into the cold New York air where she gives Amy her warmest smile yet.

“It was good to finally meet you.”

“It was good to meet you too, Esther.”

“You know, Jake’s joining me at temple again in two weeks’ time. I’d like it if you would come with us.”

Esther Peralta is not her son. She isn’t big displays of affection and wide, soft smiles. But she cares just as much as Jake does and Amy knows what the offer means; Esther likes her, likes her enough to trust her with her son and his huge heart.

“I’d love to.”

“Well I’ll see you then.”

Jake kisses her cheek and promises to see her back at his in a while before taking his mom’s arm. Amy stands on the street and watches the two dark heads walking away until they disappear around the corner, leaving her to head back to Jake’s alone.

Her phone buzzes as she descends the subway steps with a text from Jake that’s nothing but a line of thumbs up emojis that she takes to mean his mom is saying good things about her. Her need for approval from those around her has eased over the past couple of years but she can’t help but feel a wave of happiness at receiving the seal of approval from Jake’s mom. Esther’s words about this relationship being something special linger with Amy all the way home and she knows she is right. This feels different from every relationship she’s been in before; this one feels like it’s built to last.

Two weeks later, Amy joins the two Peraltas for temple, hangover-free and with a mountain of Google research under her belt. The prayers are still lost on her but she does her best to follow along, and she even manages to convince Esther to let her pay for lunch afterwards.

Another invitation follows, and then another and another, until the request to join them turns into an assumption that she’ll simply be there too. It becomes routine for Amy to join Jake and Esther at temple once a month, and the waitress at the Chinese restaurant starts to greet Amy by name and slide her extra fortune cookies at the end of the meal. Jake even tries to teach her some Hebrew and is polite enough not to laugh at her terrible attempts, while the women at the temple quickly embrace her and congratulate her on snapping up “such a handsome young man.”

Time passes. Rings appear on fingers. Job titles change. But Amy and Jake still join Esther for temple and Chinese food, even as their number grows and tiny children with curly hair arrive and start to make their own attempts to stumble over the new language and to bow their heads when the grown-ups do.

And when Tommy whines one Saturday morning about not being able to stay home and watch cartoons on the sofa, it’s Amy, the Catholic who’s still hopeless at Hebrew, who sits down with him and explains the importance of their family tradition of going to temple with Nana, of how they’ve been going for years, since long before he was born. She is the one who tells him the story of the first time she went to temple, and of how she had known after that morning that Jake was the man she wanted to build a life with. And she is the one who helps him fix his yarmulke to his head and watches as he bows his head and prays alongside his father and grandmother, just like she had first done all those years before.

**Author's Note:**

> In regards to Jake's faith, I have spent far too much time trying to figure out how important it is to him. It's mentioned enough on the show that I've developed a head canon that he goes to temple once a month with his mom and that he celebrates major festivals, and I'm working on the assumption that Jake is a Reform Jew. A lot of my representation of his faith is based on Andy's own comments about his religion.


End file.
